DMZ Forward Operating Base: stations, unlocks and level 1–70

Stations available from your first login

Six stations are there as soon as you enter the mode, and none of them are level-gated.

Stations that unlock as you level

The rest of the base opens on a level schedule. These are the official unlock conditions from the Activision Forward Operating Base station list. Official

The pattern: the 3D Printer arrives early at level 2, the Vendor at 5, the Gunsmith at 10 and the Dog Tag Case at 20. The first half of the level track unlocks your core economy; the Dog Tag Case — the one that ties into the bounty loop — arrives about a third of the way in.

The separate DMZ level 1–70 track

DMZ runs its own progression track from level 1 to level 70.Official It is a different number from your multiplayer rank and it moves at its own pace. It is also why the early access window is worth having: DMZ levels do not require campaign completion, so you can start climbing on day one.

Third-party guides describe the track as driving three things — more inventory, more loadout flexibility, and the operator trait system.Media report Treat their level-by-level detail as a summary of the official station list rather than a separate source of truth.

Operators, traits and dog tags

The official FOB material covers Active Duty Operators, operator prestige and the trait system. What it states in full:

• Three Trait Trees. Each holds six Main (visible) Traits and16 Minor Traits — 22 per tree, 66 in total. The Minor ones are randomized.Official The tree names you will see in guides — Warfighter, Scout and Survivalist — come from community sources rather than the official text.Media report Full breakdown on theMW4 DMZ traits page.
• Dog Tag levels. The Dog Tag runs from Steel to Onyx III, with 18 total levels, and you get an Operator Trait each time you level it up. Official The rarity ladder runs Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Damascus, Onyx. Official
• Prestige. The FOB has a dedicated Operators Station: DMZ Operator Prestige, withPrestige Levels 2 and 3 and content beyond Prestige Level 3. OfficialGuides put the reset cost in the hundreds of thousands of DMZ Cash — treat the figure asMedia report until you can see it in game.
• Operator slots. You begin with two available Active Duty Operator slots and unlock another by progressing your DMZ level. Official

Where third-party guides disagree with each other is the individual trait effects and the exact Prestige cost. Where we could not verify a number against an official source, it stays marked as reported.

What a failed extraction costs you

This is the rule that should shape how you play the window. Extract successfully and you keep what you carried out. Fail, and items in your backpack that are not in a Secure Slot are lost. Media report

Practically: keep your best gear in a secure slot, treat the backpack as disposable, and extract early rather than pushing for one more crate. A failed run with a full backpack is the most expensive mistake in the mode — and in a three-day window you cannot afford to make it twice.

Plan the window

How to spend your three days

Day 1 — orders and stationsClear the DMZ orders to open the Boss Board, then push toward level 5 so the Vendor opens.

Day 2 — gunsmith and bountiesBy level 10 you have the Gunsmith. Start the Lieutenant loop — a tag only counts when it comes back.

Day 3 — dog tags and bankingThe Dog Tag Case opens at level 20. Bank the gear you want to keep before the window closes.

FOB progression FAQ

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